Hver person er unik.

to be

Breakdown of Hver person er unik.

• hver: each
• personen: the person
• unik: unique

Questions & Answers about Hver person er unik.

Why is it hver person and not hver personen?

Because hver already works as a determiner, like every in English. In Norwegian, you normally do not add the definite ending when you use hver.

• hver person = every person
• personen = the person

So hver personen would sound wrong in standard Norwegian.

Why is there no word for a/an here?

For the same reason: hver takes the place where an article would normally go.

Compare:

• en person = a person
• hver person = every person

You do not say hver en person in a normal sentence like this.

What does hver mean exactly? Is it every or each?

Hver can often be translated as either every or each, depending on context.

In a general statement like Hver person er unik, English usually prefers Every person is unique. But grammatically, hver is the Norwegian word used for this kind of one-by-one idea.

A useful comparison:

• hver person = each/every person
• alle personer = all people

Hver focuses on individuals one at a time, even though the meaning applies to the whole group.